Please recommend guitars with a thin & narrow neck (NO Taylors)
Hi, I bought a Taylor 110E online after a month of searching online and reading many good reviews about it and for its thin narrow neck and low action. But I was very disappointed when I played it, the sound was way too bright and tinny and lacked warmth and "depth" and was impossible to record with. I thought it would mellow with time but it hasn't after 4 months of playing. I'm not exaggerating when I say I regret buying it.. for the overly bright and tinny sound and the fact that I'm a beginner who paid $700 for a guitar that is completely the opposite of what I wanted. :(
So I decided to buy another guitar but I'm not sure what to buy. I'm looking for a guitar with a thin and narrow neck, that has a warm, deep and rich sound.. something that is the opposite of the Taylor guitar sound as the overly bright sound of Taylors obviously isn't my taste. I play mostly strumming, and my budget is $500 to $700. I liked the sound of a low-end Seagull I saw on Youtube but I can't remember the model. My purchase will be based on your recommendations as all the guitar stores in my area have a limited selection of guitars. Thank you in advanced :) |
Hi Flower, welcome to the AGF :)
Based on the facts that you've already had one disappointment, and can't get to try out many guitars near where you are so will (presumably?) be buying online, I'd strongly recommend that you ensure you buy from a seller that has a good returns policy, so that you will have a chance to see if you like the guitar before you decide whether to keep it or not. Blueridge might be worth a look - they tend to have quite thin necks. Fliss |
Welcome to the AGF Flower.
Have you tried some different strings on it, something the manufacturer rates as a mellower tone of string? My eyes got opened recently when I tried some medium gauge strings on a few of my guitars. I had always stuck to one string set and all of a sudden, I discovered my guitars could sound much better than what i had previously heard from them. Maybe a set of medium strings like the GHS Vintage Bronze would help you get a more mellow tone. |
I agree that you should try some different strings if you haven't already. Some very mellow (non-tinny) ones that I like are Martin SP phosphor bronze (I think maybe the model # is 4100 for lights and 4200 for mediums). As mentioned above, mediums may better-suit your ears.
As far as guitars with nice, skinny-feeling necks, most dreads in the Guild line have a nice feel to me. I would also suggest the Yamaha L series dreads (or any Yamaha dreads for that matter). The Seagull S-6 Slim, as I recall, has a very nice feel. |
Check out an Alverez. I recently brought one home because I fell in love with the tone. Great price too but I ended up taking it back to the store because the neck was a bit small for my big hands and it hurt my wrist to play it for extended periods. Not for that I would have kept her.
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Definitely try some Phosphor/Bronze (PB) strings first, to make sure that doesn't fix the problem for you.
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Do you have a preference for new or used? I admit I'm biased, but the American-made Ovations have some of the fastest necks out there, and I'll be putting up 3 or 4 really nice ones for sale in the next couple of weeks. ;) http://www.pic4ever.com/images/kaffeetrinker_2.gif
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Thank you all for the responses and the welcoming :)
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CA Legacy pre-Katrina model
Have you tried a CA Legacy pre-Katrina model? They have 1 11/16th necks and ebony fretboards.
Peace, Rip |
Ditto Fliss' recommendation...Blueridge guitars have very slender necks. They also seem to have a little darker tone than Taylors.
Good luck in your search. |
Like everyone else, switch strings first, my recommendation are DR Sunbeams. Round core, easy to play, good sustain and they are definitely less bright than most other PB strings. Mine also seem to sound good for a long time.
As for narrow neck guitars, Guild made a lot of guitars over the years with 1-11/16 and even 1-5/8 widths on some acoustics. And most of the Guild necks I've played are not chunky... but since Fender has pretty much run Guild out of business, you'll have to buy used. You may want to wander over the the LetsTalkGuild forum and see what they say. John |
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Maybe what would help you out best is a nice road trip to the nearest big city, and make it an all day affair. Hit all the music stores you can find, I'm sure forum members can help you find the good ones.
If you go and play a bunch of different guitars, one you may have never thought of could be the perfect one for you. Plus you could trade in your Taylor for it and may not cost you anything at all. I recently went acoustic shopping and ended up coming home with a Dean exotic Koa concert cutaway. I would have never even considered it if I hadn't played it in real life. I chose it over an Alvarez of very similar wood, and shape. |
The neck on my Ibanez Montage is so thin, after playing it quite a while I find it hard to play barre chords on my Breedlove, which I had thought had a pretty fast neck. :( The Montage may not be what you're looking for, though, but it's very versatile for gigging. I'm not sure whether Ibanez' other acoustic models share that neck profile, but if they do, they'd be worth checking out.
The Montage is demo'd here: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=aaeL3d9TuEw |
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